FWD: Life Extension Update 3-3-2000

From: Technotranscendence (neptune@mars.superlink.net)
Date: Sat Mar 04 2000 - 22:50:42 MST


From: LEF Email List1 [mailto:nsantini@directnet1.net]
Sent: Friday, March 03, 2000 1:29 PM
Subject: Life Extension Update 3-3-2000

LEF Email List1 - http://www.lef.org

In This Issue: Protocols---DHEA REPLACEMENT; LEF Magazine February
2000---VITAMIN K, ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID INHIBITS FREE RADICALS...BETTER THAN
VITAMIN E, NATURAL THERAPIES OFFER HOPE FOR PARKINSON'S; Product of the
Week---ANTI-ALCOHOL ANTIOXIDANTS.

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Protocols
DHEA REPLACEMENT
In 1981, the Life Extension Foundation introduced DHEA
(dehydroepiandrosterone) through an article that described the multiple
antiaging effects this hormone might produce. The general public learned
about DHEA in 1996, as the benefits of DHEA were touted by the news media
and in several popular books.

DHEA obtained credibility in the medical establishment when the New York
Academy of Sciences published a book entitled DHEA and Aging and
summarized in their journal, Aging (Dec. 29, 1995, 774:1-350). This highly
technical book provided scientific validation for the many life extension
effects of DHEA replacement therapy.

DHEA has been shown to protect against heart disease and atherosclerosis.
A study using coronary artery angiography showed that low DHEA levels
predispose people to more significant coronary artery blockage. Another
study showed that DHEA inhibits abnormal blood platelet aggregation, a
factor in the development of sudden heart attack and stroke. In contrast,
some studies on DHEA do not show the cardiovascular disease protection
http://www.lef.org/protocols/prtcl-041.shtml

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LEF Magazine February 2000
"VITAMIN K" by Terri Mitchell
Sudden death from heart attack is associated with calcification of the
aorta, especially in young men. In the Framingham Heart Study, 35 year-old
men with calcifications in the aorta had a 7 times increased risk of dying
of a sudden heart attack. The risk decreases with age, but the chance of
suddenly dying of a heart attack is doubled in people under 65 if their
aortas are calcified.

Imagine a vitamin that could keep calcium in bones and out of arteries. In
so doing, that vitamin could stop heart attack and osteoporosis at the
same time. Sound incredible? Maybe, but research shows that vitamin K does
exactly that. It works by regulating calcium. Bones need it, arteries
can't stand it. Vitamin K accommodates both.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2000/feb00-report.html

ALPHA-LIPOIC ACID INHIBITS FREE RADICALS...BETTER THAN VITAMIN E
It is well known that alpha-lipoic acid is used by the body to aid in
mitochondrial energy metabolism, but this new study, published in the
November 1999 issue of Free Radical Biology & Medicine showed that it
specifically inhibits the oxidation of protein, LDL cholesterol and
cellular DNA.

Protein oxidation has been implicated in aging and heart disease. Since
alpha-lipoic acid is both fat- and water- soluble, it could prove to be
more potent than other antioxidants. Besides preventing neuropathy,
alpha-lipoic acid is especially important for diabetics because it may
improve blood-glucose control by improving insulin action while also
inhibiting the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, which contributes to heart
disease, said the researchers. Diabetics are at increased risk of heart
disease and have increased oxidative stress.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2000/feb00-products2.html

NATURAL THERAPIES OFFER HOPE FOR PARKINSON'S
Several prescription medications have shown promise in managing the
symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). The drugs, though, frequently come
with a host of side effects, and studies suggest better alternatives may
be close at hand. It could be the answers lie in natural therapies, which
may slow the disease's progression and possibly even decrease motor
deficits associated with Parkinson's disease.

In an effort to assess a natural therapy in treating the illness, The
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is funding a trial to study coenzyme
Q10's ability to slow the progression of PD. Substantial evidence has
indicated that mitochondria (energy-producing cell parts) are impaired in
PD. Work in a Parkinson's disease-affected animal model indicated that
dietary supplementation with coenzyme Q10, which is a natural part of all
cells, might slow the progression of the disease. Those who are in its
early stages, and thereby do not require levodopa (Sinemet) or other
medication, are eligible to participate in the study.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2000/feb00-itn.html

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Product of the Week!
ANTI-ALCOHOL ANTIOXIDANTS
A remarkable study was reported in which a group of rats were given a dose
of acetaldehyde large enough to kill 90% of them. Rats given a combination
of vitamin C, cysteine and vitamin B1 had no deaths. These antioxidants
provided 100% protection against acetaldehyde induced death. For many
years, medical interns would give themselves injections of thiamine
(vitamin B1) to cure a hangover. We now know how vitamin B1 inhibits the
free radical pathologies. There is now more evidence than ever that
drinking can be made safer by saturating your body with antioxidants while
you drink alcoholic beverages.

Although you can avoid a hangover by taking antioxidants before going to
bed, a lot of cancer causing damage can occur before then, so it makes
sense to bring at least six Anti-Alcohol Antioxidants capsules with you
when you know you are going to be drinking. Try to get into the habit of
taking one Anti-Alcohol Antioxidant capsule with each drink.
http://www.lef.org/newshop/category/category26000.shtml

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HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Sincerely,

Nicki Santini
E-mail Update Editor
nicki@lef.org



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